§ Mr. HoosonOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In the calmer atmosphere of this morning, I wish to raise with you the scene which took place last night, when five of my colleagues were threatened, assaulted and suffered what amounted to physical intimidation. I speak as one who disagrees with the line 772 they took—which is a matter for ourselves—when I say that surely this kind of conduct cannot be tolerated in the House.
My right hon. and hon. Friends did what they conscientiously thought was right, as I did what I thought right, and for them to be subjected to this kind of behaviour does nothing but bring Parliament into disrepute. Since we are all as a Parliament concerned with such matters as physical violence and intimidation outside, and as this is the second occasion when physical violence has been indulged in in this House in a very short time, have you anything to say on the matter?
§ Mr. CormackFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I do not wish to detain the House for long, but it is of vital importance for the traditions and civilised continuity of our proceedings to ask for your guidance and help this morning. On 1st February, you made a solemn and significant statement in which you referred to recent breaches of parliamentary conduct. You said:
What I now want to make clear is that it an hon. Member uses unparliamentary language or acts in an unparliamentary manner and when ordered to refuses to withdraw or desist, I will not hesitate to act in accordance with the Standing Orders."—[OFFICIAL REPORT. 1st February, 1972; Vol. 830, c. 239.]Last night many of us witnessed scenes of violence towards our colleagues on the Liberal Bench which were shameful and destructive of the dignity of this House. While I appreciate the acute difficulty of the Chair when feelings run high, I respectfully urge you to ensure that those who behave without any regard for this Chamber and our proper processes of debate and decision should be brought before us to apologise.
§ Mr. MellishFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. As one of those involved last night, although not making any physical contact with the aggrieved parties, I want to put on record that none of us on this side of the House in any way supports attitudes of violence or anything of that sort. But I ask you, before you make any ruling, to take into account the circumstances of last night. The atmosphere and excitement—and this is clearly understood on both sides of the House—were quite incredible. [HON. MEMBERS: "That is no excuse"] I am expressing a point of 773 view and I hope I am as good a democrat as anyone else in this House.
None of us on this side is defending what happened last night and the way it happened, but I ask the House, which has a great deal of common sense, to bear in mind the circumstances and take them into account, recognising, as many of us do—including, I believe, many hon. Members opposite as well—that feelings were running very high. I also ask the House to recognise that this sort of incident is not likely to occur again for a very long time.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I have allowed this to go as far as it should go. The rules of the House are clear. If there is a matter to be complained of and it is raised at the time, the Chair has to deal with it. I expressed my opinion, which appears in HANSARD this morning, on the general situation last night. I said then that it brought no credit upon the House. But no matter of order was raised with me then, and the rules are that any criticism of the conduct of other right hon. and hon. Members must be by substantive Motion. If a Motion is tabled and there is time to debate it, that is when the matter must be discussed.
§ Mr. OnslowFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Can you help us further? It seems not impossible that a Motion might be framed. But, in framing it, I wonder how we could best assist you. The Opposition Chief Whip seems to be asking for the M'Naghten Rules to apply. Many of us would not find that acceptable. If you need any further assistance from the House in maintaining the reputation of the House, I ask you to let us know.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am not proposing to allow this discussion to continue. It is a matter for debate in the House. If there are procedural points to be raised, those are matters for the Procedure Committee. They are not matters for what I regard as an irregular discussion this morning.